Mobile Technology News, Views and Reviews

The word on the street is out and a great looking Pantech Matrix Pro will be added to the AT&T line up of Windows Mobile 6.1 3G devices. The Pantech Matrix Pro will the same form factor as the Duo. Meaning a dual sliding keyboard. One way as simple phone keypad and the other way as a full QUERTY keyboard.

BostonPocketPC will be getting a Matrix Pro for a review soon, so stay Tuned.

"The Matrix Pro Debuts as the Powerful Next Evolution of the Dual Slider

DALLAS, Feb. 18, 2009 — AT&T* and Pantech Wireless, Inc. today introduced the Pantech Matrix ProTM, available exclusively from AT&T on Feb. 24. The next generation in Pantech’s line of successful dual-sliding, double-keyboard mobile phones, the Matrix Pro includes a host of updated features including a compact new premium design with a larger and more brilliant LCD screen, a chat-style view of text messages, tri-band 3G for the best global coverage possible, an upgraded camera, more memory, a faster processor and AT&T Video ShareSM calling. Customers can learn more by visiting www.att.com/matrixpro.

Beneath the dual-sliding keyboards and refined steel-blue exterior, the Matrix Pro connects Windows Mobile 6.1 to the nation’s fastest 3G network to provide a full range of entertainment and business features. Additionally, with AT&T’s wireless network, you can listen to a conference call on a headset while sending and receiving e-mail attachments, picture messages or Web pages at the same time1. The compact and elegant design of the Matrix Pro fits snugly in your hand for optimum comfort when typing e-mails with the QWERTY keyboard or dialing phone calls with the numeric pad.

“The Matrix Pro is a fantastic-looking device and a significant evolution in this dual-sliding family of phones,” said Michael Woodward, vice president-Smart Devices for AT&T Mobility. “We’ve seen the Matrix become a hit with consumers, and the Matrix Pro will appeal to anyone who wants a powerful smartphone with a great design.”Patrick Beattie, vice president, Sales and Marketing at Pantech Wireless, Inc., said: “By offering users an exciting alternative to smartphones with traditional QWERTY keyboard constructions, the Matrix Pro emphasizes efficiency without sacrificing style or functionality. With a large and vibrant LCD screen, two full keyboards, enhanced multimedia functionality, and the ability to edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, the Matrix Pro appeals to both business users and trend-conscious consumers.”

Customers in 3G coverage can also use AT&T Video Share to send live video during a phone call to a user with a compatible phone. With aGPS support for location-based services such as AT&T Navigator, the Matrix Pro can help you find your way with turn-by-turn directions. AT&T Navigator is available for a free 30-day trial2.

A messaging and multimedia powerhouse, the Matrix Pro has smartphone-class memory and processing power to go beyond simple text messaging and voice and allows customers to run the thousands of applications available to Windows Mobile users. It supports threaded chat-style text messaging, corporate and personal e-mail and also provides access to a host of AT&T services such as MobiTV, Napster Mobile, eMusic Mobile, AT&T Mobile Banking and CV on-demand video.

The Matrix Pro operates on the fastest 3G network at home and the best global coverage outside the U.S. — even in Japan and South Korea — because the Matrix Pro supports all three 3G frequencies used worldwide. AT&T customers can use their mobile phones to make calls in more than 200 countries, access data in more than 160 and even use 3G data in more than 65. AT&T offers 3G service in nearly 350 U.S. major metropolitan areas and many other smaller cities and towns across the U.S.

Pricing and AvailabilityThe Matrix Pro will be available Feb. 24 in a steel-blue metallic finish at AT&T company-owned stores and online atwww.wireless.att.com for $179.99 after a two-year service agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate3.For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com."

ClearContext accomplishes the three most important aspects (to me, personally) of effective Inbox management:

The ability to tag and file email messages and still maintain context. While I can use categories and can manually move messages to different folders, tracking and finding things

The ability to quickly act upon emails within the Outlook environment.By this, I mean turning emails in Appointments and Tasks. Yes, I can do this manually; in order to make sure that I still keep relevant information in the right place, though, takes time.

The ability to easily see threads and relevant information. Sure – Outlook has threaded views. However, as you move emails around, threads are not so easy to manage.

I could go on and on about this (and other awesome features in ClearContext), but I will let this video demo of ClearContext Personal speak for itself -

Best of all ClearContext Personal is free! Once you get hooked on the free edition and see the Professional Edition, you will likely see the value of this commercial release. I definitely did It adds the ability to defer acting on emails for a specified time, temporarily moving the email from the Inbox. In addition, the ability to create tasks and appointments with the click of a button are available in the Professional Edition. Here is a video demo of ClearContext Professional in action -

If there is any question as to how effective ClearContext is to me, consider the fact that I used to be someone who averaged over 100 Inbox messages at any given time, even with Inbox management. With ClearContext, I now average around 10 messages in the Inbox at any time!

If you are feeling overwhelmed by email, you should definitely give ClearContext a try.

Recently, I began posting up on my personal blog about some of the software that I use on a daily basis that I have come to find invaluable. When I mentioned this to Steve Hughes, he asked why I wasn’t posting things here as well. My answer was “Well, it’s not all Windows Mobile, you know.” he still thought that this would be of interest to our readers. As a result, this is the first in a series of posts I started writing about “Software I Live By”…

I often feel remiss in not giving enough praise where praise is due. I especially feel this way when a product or products I use simply make my life easier and more productive. Such is the case with TechSmith’s awesome products – SnagIt and Camtasia Studio.

While I often rely on screen capture software for product reviews and news publishing at BostonPocketPC.com, this is but a fraction of what I do in my daily life. Most recently, I have been spending a great deal of time in documentation work. As you might imagine, both words and images make for good step-by-step instruction. While SnagIt is generally categorized as screen capture software, the product goes far beyond that simple action. It’s ability to allow me to capture and buffer multiple successive screen shots without the need for stopping and saving after each individual capture is invaluable from a productivity perspective. The SnagIt Editor is an amazing compliment to the screen capture functionality, and allows for the mark-up of captures with professional polish.

Recording video demonstrations of software is also an important part of my life, and I have yet to find a single solution that works nearly as well as Camtasia Studio. Whether it is ease of use, the vast array of editing and production options or the reliability of the product as a whole, Camtasia Studio is nothing short of being the ssoftware recording equivalent of a best friend for me.

TechSmith also continues to amaze me with each new product release. I continually ask the question “what more could a new release have to offer?”, only to be impressed with the result. TechSmith truly listens to their community of users when it comes to both issues and requests.

If you are someone who regularly needs to capture screenshots and you aren’t already using SnagIt, I cannot encourage you enough to give it a try. The same goes for those who regularly record video from your desktop; Camtasia Studio is the way to go. I really don’t know how I would function without these products. More importantly, I don’t know how I would ever finish a project without them

Our next Windows Mobile User/Developer Group meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 18th at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor) starting at 6:30 PM.

Our meeting will include:

Device Security Open DiscussionLast’s month’s CES roundup ran a bit long (as is often the case with such a vast amount of information presented). As a result, our discussion regarding personal device security will take place this month.

Mobile World Congress Roundup The 2009 edition of Mobile World Congress (“MWC”) begins next week. By Wednesday, there will likely be lots to discuss and lots of questions. We will bring together all of the major news from MWC into one presentation for your enjoyment!

Microsoft TagMicrosoft has released the beta version of a barcode technology (and more) in Microsoft Tag that has the potential of opening many doors to new opportunities. A major player in this strategy is Windows Mobile. We will provide an overview of Tag, it’s possibilities and demonstrate how you can begin using this technology today for your own benefit.

As usual, we will have lots of giveaways in our monthly end-of-meeting raffle.

Wow, we had lots of entries in the Send ProFlowers Valentines Day Giveaway. The winners have been selected and sent an email with their gift code. For those of you that didn't win, we also have something for you. Click here and you will get 20% off your entire order at ProFlowers.com and a free glass vase. It's currently the best ProFlowers.com coupon on the internet (feel free to share it with your friends and family).

Again Congratulations to all our winners! Here are some of the interesting entries that were submitted:

-Two years ago I got my wife an MP3 play from iAudio that would work with her Mac.She had not used it; I was thinking she didn't like the ear buds.So, last year I got her an external portable speaker.She still has not used it.Flowers the past two years would have probably cost less, and been better appreciated.

-I gave my mom a key chain with an electric picture frame two Christmases ago. Last year we asked her how she liked it. She said, “Oh, it stores pictures.” So, it did not go over at all as we expected.

-Ok, so I'm a neat freak and my wife is…well…she isn't. So, I thought it would be great to get her these wire mesh organizational compartments to help her keep her office organized. She has a bunch of mail/journals/pictures that she keeps near her computer and it was always such a mess. They all matched and went really well with the color scheme of the computer and desk. I thought I did really well picking them out. She was super excited to see all seven items I wrapped for her….until she opened them! Wow, she is not good at hiding her feelings. I thought she was going to cry. Flowers would have been better…I think rocks would have been better! I was so bummed out! I would have loved to get them as a gift! Needless to say I put all her things in them as she moped around a little. She was actually very gracious and told me she liked them, but I could tell she was disappointed. I would like to do better this year!

-Being a mother of two boys and a wife to a very active husband, our house is a full-time fun place to laugh, play and wrestle. We have many fun art days, play dough activities, pudding finger-painting days etc. Our floors are the most difficult thing to keep clean and I am constantly sweeping/mopping/vacuuming. So naturally my husband had the perfect Valentine's gift picked out for me. He was so sure that he was making my life better/easier and I was going to be so thrilled. I took a bunch of time to pick out the perfect gift for my honey...a homemade coupon book filled with all the best redeemable coupons that I just KNEW he would LOVE!! I LOVE surprises, LOVE homemade things and LOVE Hersheys Kisses. So I was pretty excited for Valentine's Day. When I saw the long pole with the bow on top I was quite disappointed that I got something for the HOUSE instead of something romantic. Really I am not complaining about the thought that went in to the gift. I know my honey had every great intention and I love him for that. I'm so grateful he's my man and he learned a great deal on the Valentine's Day on what I really look forward to on Valentine's Days.

-The worst gift I ever gave my wife was a bag of frozen tortellini. In my defense, I really thought she'd like it, she talked about some tortellini dish she had at a baby shower, so I figured, what the heck, tortellini will be a cool Valentine's Day present. I even bought the "tri-colored" kind. Anyway, I really couldn't wrap it because it was frozen, so I just left it in the plastic yellow grocery bag, which I guess you can call Strike 2.Strike 3 was sort of cringe-worthy. My wife opened the plastic bag, and upon seeing the tortellini, mistook the pasta as a symbol of a larger gift, a longed-for trip to Italy. She started screaming "We're going to ITALY, we're going to ITALY", and I was shaking my head saying "No, we're definitely not going to Italy". It was then that she cocked her head to the side and stared at me and said "Well, then, what the heck is this about??"I tried to explain, but all was lost. I became the butt of jokes, crowned the Tortellini King, and lots of people had fun at my expense over my colossal lapse in gift-giving judgment!

-A few years ago for Mother's Day I gave my wife a weight bench. I thought it was great. She had been trying to work out more and we had talked about what she wanted to do more of at the gym. I really thought she would like having a weight bench at home.I was so excited to give it to her thinking I had chosen a perfect gift. My kids gave her the presents they had made a school, and then it was my turn. The size of the box was huge and she couldn't even lift it. She tore off the wrapping paper and stared at the box, she didn't say a word. I looked at my teenage daughter and she just rolled her eyes at me. I looked at my wife, she wasn't happy. The younger kids just left the room. My wife sat down on the couch, she didn't cry, but I could tell that I had chosen the wrong gift. She explained that giving a weight loss product as a gift made her feel fat. I tried to explain me reasoning. I explained that if it was me, this is something I would love. She said "good, you can keep it for Father's Day", and left the room.Later that same day I picked up a huge bouquet of flowers, a large box of chocolates, and a necklace. All was forgiven.But I still think it was a good gift.

-Ok I have been told by a hole in the wall- one was a power tool and nope not a vibrator- I got her a set of rechargeable tools and a rechargeable car battery..she said that was not very romantic and thru it thru the wall. Ok so the power tool was something I wanted and I also bought myself a bunch of stuff and did not realize it was Valentines Day until She handed me the gift she got- duh I saw the hearts at the store- did not think..but did not think she would throw- but hey her throw was really great!

Not only can you get all the usual information on the movie, you can even view small trailers of the movie you want to add to your queue so you can sample if you really want it or if it is appropriate for your family and add it to your queue.

Windows Mobile now offers a mobile application for Netflix. The new Netflix application for Windows Mobile phones makes it simple to manage your Netflix experience from a mobile device. You can search the entire Netflix library for your next film, get complete movie details, and even manage your DVD queue. Easily update your queue by moving films up, moving films down, or removing films from your queue.

A feature exclusive to Windows Mobile is the ability to play previews right on your Windows Mobile device. After watching a preview, you can then add the movie to your Instant Queue so you can instantly watch the movie on your Xbox 360.

Managing a Netflix account while mobile has never been easier, thanks to Mobile Manager for Netflix and a Windows Mobile phone.

You can download it from here.(Note you will need a Live ID / Passport account and agree to the Terms of Service to do so and it is very hard to install on your device if you are using PIE- how come Microsoft can’t make their own Windows Mobile website, Windows Mobile Friendly?)

Microsoft has created a SKU line-up for Windows 7, where each SKU is a superset of the previous SKU. This means that each higher edition SKU will have every feature lower edition SKUs have with a focus on two primary editions of Windows 7: Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional.

We will continue to offer a few targeted SKUs for customers with specialized needs: for price-sensitive customers with small notebook PCs, some OEMs will offer Windows 7 Starter. For customers in emerging markets, we will make Windows 7 Home Basic available. Businesses have two recommended choices: Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise. Windows 7 Professional is recommended for small businesses and Windows 7 Enterprise is recommended for mid- and large-sized businesses that have a Software Assurance Agreement with Microsoft.

· For Consumers, we recommend Windows 7 Home Premium for most customers and Windows 7 Professional for customers who want additional features and functionality useful for small business activities.

· For Businesses, we recommend Windows 7 Professional for most customers and Windows 7 Enterprise for medium-to-large business and enterprise customers that choose to license Windows through Software Assurance.

· The features in each version of Windows 7 build upon the one before it. As customers move up from one SKU to the next, from Windows 7 Starter through Windows 7 Ultimate, they gain additional features and lose none

Additional Information:

Windows 7 Starter

Windows 7 Home Basic

(emerging market only)

Windows 7 Home Premium

Windows 7 Professional

Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate

Key Feature list

· Broad app and device compatibility with up to 3 concurrent applications

We are teaming up with ProFlowers.com to give the gift of giving during Valentine's Day with the Send ProFlowers Valentine’s DayGiveaway. We know that finding the "right gift" can be hard at times, but flowers always has the right way of sending the right message to loved ones. On of the best services on the web that I use frequently outside of tech is ProFlowers. This Holiday season when I asked my mother what she wanted for Christmas she said she had everything she needed, but would like some fresh flowers every so often like the ones I sent her on her birthday and Mother's Day. So I opted get her a subscription plan that would send flower and plant shipments to her every other month from a company that I have used in the past and is the company I always keep going back to because ProFlowers.com provides the usual fresh flowers delivered in a box - usually with a free vase (if there is no offer for a free one- just click on the microphone in the upper right hand corner and enter in Howard or Rich) , but also flowers that last for more than 7 days.

We all know that Valentine's Day is 12 days away and starting now you will have the opportunity to enter up until 11:59 PM EST on February 8th to make sure you can order and send your gift out on time! We will then choosing several random winners for a $70 gift certificate for whatever you would like to give to a friend, loved one, or treat yourself from ProFlowers.com and send each of the winners their coupon codes so they can place their orders in time for Valentine's Day - yeah we know several of you don't make up your minds until your ride home on 14th of February. Well we got you covered this year. The flowers and gifts can only be sent to any address within the United States – so only enter the contest if the person you would like to gift is from the United States.

To enter all you need to do is send us an email to failgift@bostonpocketpc.com with the Subject: Send ProFlowers Valentine’s Day Giveaway describing your worst gift to a loved one or a tech based gift that was given as a gift, but didn't go over as well as you expected and put you in the doghouse where flowers would have worked much better. ProFlowers has even done a survey that says 76% of women want flowers other than red roses on Valentine's Day so choose wisely if you do order flowers this year!!!

From all the eligible entrants we will choose the winners at random for a $70 gift certificate to ProFlowers.com. To be eligible for the drawing you will not only have to submit your story of 150 words or more you will also have to submit your name, valid email address, with the proper subject: Send ProFlowers Valentine’s Day Giveaway before 11:59 PM EST on February 8th.

If you are looking at giving the gift of flowers be sure to check out these following blogs that are partaking in their own Send ProFlowers Valentine’s Day Giveaway: